Steam installs games in a steamappscommon folder inside a Steam library. On Windows, the default library is C:Program Files (x86)Steam, so an installed game usually sits in C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommon. Save files are a separate question. Steam Cloud keeps its local copies in a userdata folder, but whether a particular game’s saves live there depends on the developer, and some games store saves somewhere else entirely.
Where Steam installs game files
Installed game files are stored in the steamappscommon folder of whichever Steam library the game was installed to. That is not always the default drive. Steam lets you add libraries on other drives, so the folder you need depends on where you chose to install the game.
- Open Steam and go to Settings.
- Select Storage. The page lists each library drive that Steam knows about.
- Note the library location that contains the game. Steam will show the library path.
- Open the
steamappscommonfolder inside that library, then open the folder named after the game.
If you have never added a second library, the game is almost certainly in the default location shown above. If you have added one, Steam’s Storage page is the reliable place to check, because it shows the actual path rather than a guess.
Where Steam Cloud keeps local save data
Steam Cloud stores a local copy of user-specific data in a userdata folder. Steam Support describes this hierarchy as account ID folders, with a subfolder for each game named by that game’s appID. The table gives the default Steam data location for each operating system.
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| Operating system | Installed game files (default) | Steam Cloud local data (userdata) |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommon |
C:Program Files (x86)Steamuserdata |
| macOS | Not stated as a single default. Steam Support gives ~/Library/Application Support/Steam as the Steam data area; the exact steamapps/common location depends on your installation and library setup. |
~/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata |
| Linux | Not stated as a single default. The game library location depends on your Steam setup. | ~/.local/share/Steam/userdata |
To find a game’s Cloud folder, open the userdata path for your system and choose the folder matching your Steam account ID. Then open the subfolder matching the game’s appID. Steam uses Dota 2 (appID 570) as its example, so its Windows path would be Steamuserdata[account ID]570. On a computer shared by several Steam accounts, you may see more than one account ID folder, so check which one has recent files.
Steam Cloud can sync game settings, save games, profile stats and other user-specific data. Developers decide which files a game includes, so a folder in userdata may hold only part of what a game writes.
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When a game’s saves are not in Steam Cloud
Many games do not use Steam Cloud for saves at all. Other games use Cloud for some files and keep the rest in a location the developer chose. A missing save in userdata therefore does not mean the save is gone.
Steam’s Windows guidance for moving games names C:Users[Windows user name]DocumentsMy Games as a common place for third-party saves. It is a frequent location, not a universal one, so treat it as a place to look rather than a rule.
To work out where a specific game keeps its saves:
- Check the game’s Store page. If it shows the Steam Cloud logo, the game uses Steam Cloud, though Steam does not list every file it syncs.
- Look in the game’s Steam Community forum, which often lists save paths in discussions and guides.
- Check the developer’s official support site, or contact the developer directly for the exact save location.
- Search your user folders, such as
DocumentsMy Gamesand the game’s own folder, for files with recent modification dates.
Moving or backing up a game
Steam’s Storage settings let you create a library on another drive and move an installed game between libraries. When you move a library, keep the steamapps data intact, and confirm whether the game’s saves are separate. Saves that are not handled by Steam Cloud may need to be copied separately.
Steam also has a backup feature, available from a game’s Properties > Installed Files section. Steam warns that games using third-party installers or downloaders may not work with it. Steam’s backups also do not reliably include saves, custom multiplayer maps or configuration files, and a game’s third-party save locations vary, so back those up yourself before you rely on a Steam backup.
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If you cannot find the save
- Confirm the game is installed in the library you think it is, using Settings > Storage.
- Check that you are looking in the account ID folder that matches the account you played on.
- Check
DocumentsMy Gamesand the game’s own installation folder. - Ask the game’s developer or community for the exact save path, since this is the only reliable source for games outside Steam Cloud.
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